Xinhua Headlines: From exporting to partnering, Chinese carmakers forge South-South cooperation in Mideast

* Chinese cars "have become very popular here because they meet our needs within our financial abilities. The quality is also satisfactory," said Mohamed Mostafa, a 44-year-old Egyptian Uber driver and a proud owner of a Chery Tiggo.

* Chinese automakers' Completely Knocked Down (CKD) plants, joint ventures and R&D centers are boosting local employment, widening supply chains and advancing industrial upgrading.

* Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir told Xinhua that Chinese investment "will become a key driver of transformation in Türkiye's automotive industry," accelerating new-energy adoption, expanding export capacity, and creating high-value jobs.

CAIRO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- From Egypt's welding factory to Qatar's public transport networks, Chinese automakers have outgrown their role as affordable exporters, now forming strong industrial partnerships that are helping define a new model of South-South cooperation.

Today, in the Middle East, Chinese brands are becoming increasingly integrated locally -- building assembly plants, training local workers, co-developing models suited to desert conditions, and aligning their investments with national development agendas across the region.

Analysts noted that in doing so, China is fostering a practical, mutually beneficial model of South-South industrial cooperation grounded in shared development, technological exchange and long-term partnership.

TAILORED DESIGNS POPULAR

Long known for affordability, Chinese cars today are winning hearts -- and wallets -- by meeting the specific needs of consumers.

ROX Motor, a Chinese hybrid carmaker, now serves roughly 10 Middle Eastern countries, building not just a sales network but a full-service ecosystem.

To suit the region's harsh climate and local preferences, ROX has developed specialized cooling systems for extreme heat and customized smart cockpits with Arabic-language support and local apps, said Brian Bian, the company's chief marketing officer and head of product.

Bian told Xinhua that it reflects a fundamental change in the way China approaches its global automotive market.

"Ten years ago, we relied on cost and efficiency to enter overseas markets ... Today, Chinese automakers are transitioning from 'Made in China' to 'Intelligent Manufacturing in China' -- this is not just about exporting, but also about upgrading and integrating," Bian said.

Ammar Al Jabari, general manager of Al Laith Al Lamea, dealer for ROX Motor in Saudi Arabia, praised Chinese cars as "clearly ahead" in "electrification, smart cockpits, and intelligent driving."

Similarly, Avi Kenet, chief commercial officer of Casa Moto Frisbe, Israel's largest importer of Chinese vehicles, said that "over time, Chinese automakers have proven themselves to be innovative, reliable and strong in value-for-money performance."

Mohamed Mostafa, a 44-year-old Egyptian Uber driver, is a proud owner of a Chery Tiggo, a compact crossover from Chinese automaker Chery.

Noting that his car has run reliably for years, Mostafa told Xinhua that Chinese cars "have become very popular here because they meet our needs within our financial abilities. The quality is also satisfactory."

Emirati buyer Khalid Aljanahi shared a similar view. "Configurations are rich, and the price is reasonable ... The price is very affordable, and the quality is very good. Chinese cars are the best in the region," Aljanahi told Xinhua.

WIN-WIN COOPERATION

Meanwhile, Chinese automakers are moving beyond focusing solely on vehicle sales. Their Completely Knocked Down (CKD) plants, joint ventures and R&D centers are boosting local employment, widening supply chains and advancing industrial upgrading.

In Egypt's Giza province, local workers in blue uniforms are deftly operating orange robotic arms, welding and assembling vehicle parts in a 123 million-U.S. dollar joint venture between China's automotive brand Jetour and Egypt's major automotive dealer the Kasrawy Group.

"Each car we produce here is made up of 40 percent locally-manufactured components," the factory's workshop supervisor Yasser Ahmed Mansour told Xinhua.

As Jetour's Egypt country manager Cheng Shaoyang put it, it represents a "win-win" model, helping "promote local talent cultivation and product upgrading."

In Türkiye, BYD's 1 billion-dollar investment in an electric vehicle (EV) plant and R&D center is expected to create some 5,000 jobs when it opens in 2026.

Albert Saydam, president of the Automotive Suppliers Association of Türkiye, said Chinese automakers are integrating their supply chains with local industry to "achieve genuine industrial convergence."

Other Chinese manufacturers are following suit. SWM Motors and its Turkish partners are developing a 1 million-square-meter complex in the northwestern city of Eskisehir, with local content set to reach over 50 percent by 2029, enabling vehicles to qualify as "Made in Türkiye" and be exported under a national brand.

Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir told Xinhua that Chinese investment "will become a key driver of transformation in Türkiye's automotive industry," accelerating new-energy adoption, expanding export capacity, and creating high-value jobs.

Across the Gulf region, governments are explicitly seeking this kind of cooperation. "Gulf countries are no longer satisfied with simple goods-for-cash trade," Bian said. "They want to gain technology, nurture industries, and achieve their own transformation and upgrading through cooperation with Chinese automakers." 

(Video reporters: Wang Hao, Yang Yiran, Guo Yage, Wen Xinnian, Xia Xiao, Wang Haizhou, Luo Chen, Yao Bing, Dong Xiuzhu, Feng Guorui, Wang Zhuolun, Zhang Yuyang, Xu Wanhu, Wang Qiang, Safar Rajabov, Nick Kolyohin, Yu Fuqing; video editors: Zheng Xin, Zhu Cong, Li Qin)■